


drown these days

by Teaotter



Category: Leverage
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Audio Format: Streaming, Community: waywardmixes, Fanart, Fanmix, Gen, hosted at photobucket, story + mix
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-14
Updated: 2012-11-14
Packaged: 2017-11-18 15:09:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/562406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teaotter/pseuds/Teaotter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The thing is, Eliot is good at killing. Most people flinch, subconsciously, at the thought of taking another life. It throws off their aim, and they have to learn to work around it.</p><p>Eliot doesn't flinch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	drown these days

  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**CHOICES  
** \- george jones -  
_Since the day that I was born_  
_There were voices_  
_That told me right from wrong_  
_If I had listened_  
_No I wouldn't be here today_  
  
**LETTERS FROM HOME  
** \- john michael montgomery -  
_It occurs to me_  
_I might not have said it_  
_So I'll say it now_  
_"Son, you make me proud."_  
  
  


|  Eliot isn’t a bad kid. Maybe a little too hot under the collar, maybe a little too quick to swing his fists. But he has a good heart, and he stands up for people weaker than he is. He learns early on how good it feels to take down the school bullies.  
  
No one is surprised when he enlists in the Army. The military can send him to college, give him opportunities he can’t get at home. So he kisses his girlfriend goodbye and goes off to basic training.  
  
He’s thrilled to end up in Special Forces. He’s one of the best. When they ship him off to watch his buddies’ backs, he doesn’t think twice.  
  
  
  
---|---  
  
**DEVILS AND DUST  
** \- bruce springsteen -  
_What if what you do to survive_  
_Kills the things you love?_  
_Fear's a powerful thing, baby_  
_It can turn your heart black, you can trust_  
  
**50,000 NAMES  
** \- george jones -  
_There's purple hearts and packs of gum_  
_Fatherless daughters and fatherless sons_  
_There’s fifty thousand names_  
_Carved on the wall_  
  
  


|  The thing is, Eliot is good at killing. Most people flinch, subconsciously, at the thought of taking another life. It throws off their aim, and they have to learn to work around it.  
  
Eliot doesn’t flinch.  
  
It’s a talent that gets him noticed by Military Intelligence and men in suits who ask him how much he loves his country. But Eliot doesn’t want to be a spook. He just wants to watch his buddies’ backs and get them home safe.  
  
Then a whole string of missions go wrong, and people die. Too many people die, and Eliot decides that a talent for killing can’t keep anyone safe. So he goes back to the men in suits and signs on.  
  
They make him a better killer.  
  
  
  
  
  
**DIDN’T I?  
** \- montgomery gentry -  
_Now being back should be so simple_  
_But I keep getting mixed signals from everyone_  
_Why do people sit and judge me_  
_Who ain't seen what I seen or did what I've done_  
  
**MAMA TRIED  
** \- merle haggard -  
_I turned twenty-one in prison_  
_Doing life without parole_  
  
**SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO LOVE ME  
** \- alan jackson -  
_When you and our friends talk,_  
_Make it all my fault,_  
_Tell em' I'm rotten to the core_  
  
  


|  Eliot comes home on leave, and everything spirals out of control.  
  
His mama knows something’s wrong. She wants him to talk about it, and when he won’t, she wants him to quit the service. Eliot tells her he’ll think about it. And hell, maybe he even means it.  
  
But then Aimee comes by, all smiles and wedding plans, and he feels like poison. She’s still the same sweet girl he always loved, and she has no idea who he is any more. So he puts on a happy face for her. He goes along with the conversation, lying like a dog and wondering how he’s ever going to live up to all the promises he’s making.  
  
But then she’s talking about babies and buying a house and Eliot can’t stand it any more. He has to get out of there. He goes to a bar, starts drinking.  
  
Later, he won’t even remember what the guy said. Just the crunch of his neck breaking in Eliot’s hands.  
  
Eliot doesn’t fight the court martial. He figures he belongs in prison. He doesn’t let Aimee stand by him, either. She deserves a good man, and he’s a killer. That’s all he’s good for.  
  
  
  
  
  
**DESPERADO  
** \- the eagles -  
_And freedom, oh freedom_  
_Well, that's just some people talkin'_  
_Your prison is walking_  
_Through this world all alone_  
  
**A PLACE WHERE WE USED TO LIVE  
** \- mark knopfler -  
_You on the stair_  
_I can see you there_  
_Everything is gone_  
_But my heart is hanging on_  
  
  


|  Not that he stays in prison for long. A man with Eliot’s talents is too much a target for the guards, and too much in demand on the international market. One of the cartels pays to have him sprung from the prison, faking his death to keep the government off his trail for a while.  
  
Eliot doesn’t stay with the folks who break him out. He takes their money, does a few dirty jobs for them, and moves on. There’s always work for him. Always. He can do anything he wants, leave any time he wants to. People keep telling him he’s a free man now.  
  
He only goes home once. He doesn’t dare get close enough for his mama to see him, and Aimee is long since gone. It doesn’t even feel like home any more. Eliot leaves the country and doesn’t look back.  
  
  
  
  
  
**JUSTICE IN THE BARREL  
** \- jon bon jovi -  
_So, Mister, can you help me?_  
_Or are you my gun?_  
_Has the ghost of justice_  
_Brought you here to me_  


|  Eventually, Eliot finds himself working for Damien Moreau.  
  
It starts with a couple of contract jobs here and there. A retrieval. An assassination. And then a couple more. Pretty soon, whenever Eliot’s looking for the highest-paying job around, Moreau’s name is always at the top of the list.  
  
Eliot isn’t looking for an employer. He’s a contractor. A free man. He’s not loyal to anyone. But Moreau doesn’t expect loyalty to anything other than his bank account, and he’s willing to pay more for the best.  
  
Standing up to Moreau is like fighting the tide. It’s easier to just let go.   
  
  


~~available[streaming at Grooveshark.com](http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/Drown+These+Days/78570655)~~  


Sadly, Grooveshark is no more. Sorry.


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